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Good hostel to stay in and good value for money in the centre of Glasgow

I booked a night in this hostel for me and 3 of my friends as we were at university in Edinburgh and we wanted a night out in Glasgow as we heard it was meant to be a lot better that what we are used too! We were suggested that we stay in the Euro-hostel as it was cheap and good value for money, I think we ended up paying £60 for a 4 bed room. The hostel is easy to get to from the bus station, glasgow queen street and glasgow central. You walk south down buchannan street towards the river clyde, through the st enoch centre, down a road which is directly infront on you, once you reach the river clyde, turn right and the eurohostel is on your right.

The building itself is about ten storeys high, it is surrounded by other hotels, busy shops, restaurants, nightclubs, but on one side you have a view of the river clyde. We were located on the fifth floor, our room was right at the end of the corridor so we were right out of the way, so for quietness, this was a good thing. However I think they were filling the rooms up from this end, so from later on in the night, the noise became greater and was quite rowdy from about 3am until 4am. The staff at the hostel were however very helpful and friendly, we were in our room within about 5 minutes of arriving, the room was clean and tidy and well looked after.

The room that we were given for the 4 of us consisted of two bunk beds, which were painted a dark blue colour and the paint was coming off the sides. There was a table infront of the window with only two chairs, the beds were not made when we arrived but we were provided with sheets and pillowcases to make our beds, however there was only one extra pillow, which is not very good when myself and 2 of my friends are used to sleeping with more than one pillow. The matress that I had was very comfortable and I was able to get a good nights sleep, although some lights from outside did keep me awake for a while.

Other aspects of the room were good, we were given lockers but due to the fact that we were friends, we felt no need to use them and when we left our room we pushed our belongings out of sight and under the bed. There is a full length mirror in the room, which is very useful especially if you are going out for the night and want to make sure that you look your best.

There was also a shower in a seperate room, located on the left hand side as soon as you entered the room, the shower looked clean and tidy, we did not however use it as we had to pay for towels at the reception if we required a shower, we had one before we left that morning. The toilet like the shower was clean and tidy and had 2 rolls of toilet paper and as we were staying for one night, this was ample. We were also given soap which was located on the basin which is a good thing to have, as we had forgotten anything like that.

You have to keep your key that you are given on you at all times, this is because it is what you use for entry to both the stairs and the lifts, without it you will find that you are stuck in the reception for the night and you cannot access the areas to your room. The card is simple and easy to use, as you just slip it into the slot on the doors, the light will then turn green and you will hear a click and the doors should then open.

The hostel offers various amenities, the one that we used most was the bar, we found that the bar was very comfortable as it had nice sofas and coffee tables, it was a relaxed atmosphere and you were able to take it easy and have a good night without the hustle and bustle of Glasgow which is on your doorstep. The bar is also open to the public as there is a door which leads onto the street. The bar has toilets as does the reception, there is also a pool table and various bandit machines like many normal pubs and bars these days.

The street outside the hostel has many takeaways or shops if you fancy a late night snack, such as McDonalds, KFC, Subway, Greggs, which are all open to 3am, which is very different to where we are from, only one subway is open until 3am. This is very handy as I am always hungry after I have been on a night out.

The hostel offers breakfast which comes free with the room, you get your main breakfast for free, such as cereal, toast, tea and coffee, but you can get a hot breakfast for an extra price. You can buy sausage, eggs, bacon, black pudding. My friend bought a sausage sandwich for about £2 which to me is a good price and she said that it tasted nice, you did however have to pay for sauce sachets. The dining room was very busy and it was hard to get a table amongst all the pandemonium. The toast machine is very hard to work and takes a long time for it to work, you end up with a long queue behind you.

The dining room is a large room with many plastic tables and chairs, with a few sofas and tables, it also has internet access and a few vending machines, it is safe to say that the eurohostel caters for every need you might have. Although it is basic, you get what you pay for and it is good value for money, at £15 each for a private room for me and my friends how could we argue, we would definitely use this hostel again if we visit Glasgow for a night out again.

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Youth hostel in Glasgow city centre

I booked this hostel for a few nights' stay as a single traveller. Unless you book a private room, you're put into a dorm with members of the same sex only. I went for the cheapest option of paying £14.95 a night and getting a bed in a 14-bed room (in other words sharing with 13 female strangers). There are more expensive options available if you want a smaller amount of people occupying your room.

I booked online via the Euro Hostel website and was required to pay a 10% deposit there and then; the rest was to be paid upon arrival. I received my confirmation email promptly and took a copy with me in case I needed it when I checked in.

Getting to the hostel isn't that easy if you don't know the area, but once you know where you are, it's very easy. Essentially, from either the Buchanan Street coach station or from Queen Street train station (the main overground, national rail link), you walk down Buchanan Street, towards St Enoch's Square. You walk through St Enoch's Square and you pass a pub on your left called the Hootenanny. Turn right once through the Square and follow the street along (there are some buses running on it) to a street where there is a branch of Matalan. Turn left and walk towards the river Clyde and the hostel is situated on the corner.

When I checked in, the process was prompt. You can buy padlocks for the lockers provided in the room (one per bed), rent towels, and buy various other items such as maps and chocolate. You can also book local excursions, an opportunity you also get (for additional costs) at the time of booking. There are plenty of leaflets to look at too for more ideas of places to see, located in this reception as well as additional lockers you can pay to use.

You need to keep the key card on you at all times as you cannot use the elevators or access the stairs without it. There are several floors. I was on the 9th floor. The room itself was basic. 7 bunk beds (2 beds on each) and 2 toilet cubicles and 2 shower cubicles (these were located on each side immediately as you entered the room.

There's also a table and three chairs although it's not much if you're in a big group. Also included is a bin and the aforementioned lockers. There are some sinks and mirrors inside the room but tucked away around a corner.

Overall, the beds are comfy enough. You're given suitable sheets, etc to make the bed up yourself. I managed to get some sleep at least, on all the three nights I stayed there.

The showers were a nightmare to use; the force of the jet of water was so extreme I literally struggled to breathe at times and ended up in a corner of the cubicle so I could get some air. The flimsy curtain combined with this maniacal jet means water gets everywhere so all your stuff on the cubicle floor is liable to get soaked.

Breakfast is free, and served from 7:30-9:30 in the lounge on the first floor. You get juice, cereal, toast and jam. For an additional cost you can order a cooked breakfast or a bacon, egg or sausage roll although I regretted my decision to get a sausage sandwich as they microwaved the sausage and the result wasn't too pleasant!! There's a few massage chairs where you [pay £1 for 3 minutes of electric massage, and also some standard seats in the lounge in one corner, by a large TV you can watch.

There's also a room on the mezzanine level where I was able to charge my phone (I did not leave it unattended), and swap books on a book swap table. There's a pool table and some vending machines and another gaming table also there but I didn't use any of them myself.

Overall, it is what it is and for the money, you can't really complain. I have stayed there twice now and would stay again if travelling alone on a budget.